by, Rosemary C. White-Traut, PhD, RN, FAAN

Having your new baby spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be extremely stressful for both you and your baby. The bright lights, the random nature of nonhuman sounds such as beeps or monitors, and medical procedures can all create an uneasy or stressful environment.

This is concerning because stress can influence your baby’s brain development and how parents  interact with their babies. However, there are ways to help reduce the long-term effect of these stressors.

There are several things you can do as parents to help reduce NICU environmental stressors. Ask your nurse for help with these suggestions. Continue reading →